Lee Tobin
Lee "Little Mouse" Tobin (born 1922 as Eileen Herdman; died January 3, 1996 in Vancouver)[1] was a Canadian curler. A member of the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame, she remains the only skip to lead Quebec to a national women's curling championship, having won the 1975 Macdonald Lassies Championship.
Medal record | ||
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Curling | ||
Macdonald Lassies Championship | ||
1975 Moncton |
Curling career
Representing Westmount's Caledonia Curling Club, Tobin won her first Quebec women's championship in 1970, defeating Pointe Claire's Shirley Bradford in a tie-breaker playoff, after having been tied in first with them in the standings at a 5-2 record. Her team of Michelle Garneau, Perry Landrigan and Joy Sjare was put together just before playdowns that season.[2] The team represented Quebec at the 1970 Canadian Ladies Curling Association Championship, where they finished with a 6-3 record, tied four fourth place.[3]
The Tobin rink had less success in 1971, going 3-3 at provincials, and had to cancel their final match due to Tobin suffering a leg injury.[4]
Tobin, with teammates Pat Haslam, Marilyn Hone and Garneau won a second Quebec provincial title in 1972. The Caledonia rink easily swept through the round robin tournament, going undefeated with a 7-0 record.[5] The team represented Quebec at the 1972 Macdonald Lassies Championship, where Tobin once again finished in fourth place with a 6-3 record.[6]
Tobin won a third Quebec provincial title in 1973 with teammates Fran Collison, Hone and Garneau. The team went 6-1 at the Quebec championship, losing just one game against Raymonde Messier of St. Hilaire.[7] Representing Quebec, the team had less success at the 1973 Macdonald Lassies Championship, finishing with a 3-6 record (7th place).[8]
In 1974, Tobin missed out on a third-straight provincial title, finishing with a 5-2 record at that year's provincial Lassie. That record was good enough for third place in the province.[9]
After her defeat in 1974, Tobin considered retiring from competitive curling.[10] However, she came back roaring in 1975, winning her fourth provincial title in a tiebreaker against Messier (now curling out of Bel-Aire). The two teams both had 6-1 round robin records, forcing the tiebreaker. Tobin's only loss of the tournament was against Lorraine Bowes of Baie d'Urfe.[11] Tobin and teammates Marilyn McNeil (Hone), Garneau and Laurie Ross went on to represent Quebec at the 1975 Macdonald Lassies Championship. There, the team topped the round robin round with a 7-3 record, tied with Saskatchewan's Marj Mitchell rink. This forced the two provinces into a tiebreaker match for the championship, which Quebec won 7-5.[12] The team disbanded the following season.[13]
In 1976, Tobin won a Quebec mixed title playing third on a rink skipped by André Émond.[14] The team finished with a 4-7 record (tied for 8th) at the 1976 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship.[15]
Tobin was inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in 1979.[16]
Tobin played in one more national championship at the 1987 Scott Tournament of Hearts as Quebec's alternate.[17] She did not play in any games.[18] She also won a provincial senior title that year with teammates Marie Fullerton, Muriel Tonkin and Judy Wiltshire.[19] The team finished in last place (11th) with a 1-9 record at the 1987 Canadian Senior Curling Championships.[20]
Personal life
Tobin was married to William Tobin and had four children.[1] She worked as a book-keeper at the Caledonia Curling Club,[11] and later became the club's manager before it closed down in 1980.[21] She was inducted into the Quebec Curling Hall of Fame in 2017. She was nicknamed "Little Mouse" for her small size (4 ft 10; less than 100 pounds).[22]
References
- Montreal Gazette, 6 Jan 1996, pg F14, "Births & Deaths"
- Montreal Gazette, 29 Jan 1970, pg 24, "Lee Tobin rink wins Quebec curling"
- Calgary Herald, 27 Feb 1970, pg 24, "Nobody Stood To Be Crowned"
- Montreal Gazette, 21 Jan 1971, pg 16, "Port Alfred's rink captures Quebec crown"
- Ottawa Journal, 27 Jan 1972, pg 22, "Caledonia curlers to represent Quebec"
- Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, 3 Mar 1972, pg 10, "Alberta, Manitoba crews prove close neighbors" (sic)
- Montreal Gazette, 25 Jan 1973, pg 27, "Tobin rink wins ladies' curling title"
- Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, 2 Mar 1973, pg 18, "Lassie focus on West"
- Montreal Gazette, 31 Jan 1974, pg 38, "Frida Payson provincial champ"
- Regina Leader-Post, 22 Feb 1975, pg 30, "Tobin reconsiders, triumphs"
- Montreal Gazette, 30 Jan 1975, pg 26, "Lee Tobin tops province again"
- Montreal Gazette, 1 Mar, 1975, pg 29, "Women's curling title taken by Lee Tobin's Montreal rink"
- Montreal Gazette, 24 Jan 1976, pg 15
- "Past Provincial Champions".
- Regina Leader-Post, 27 Mar 1976, pg 31
- Montreal Gazette, 23 Feb 1979, pg 28, "Ursel, Tobin curl to Fame"
- Regina Leader-Post, 27 Feb 1987, pg B7
- "Lee Tobin - Curling Canada Stats Archive".
- "Past Provincial Champions".
- Victoria Times-Colonist, 21 Mar 1987, pg D4
- Montreal Gazette, 1 May 1980, pg 59, "Taxes help kill 130-year-old club"
- "Lee Tobin". curling-quebec.qc.ca. Retrieved 28 January 2023.